Gelateria Italiana Mona Lisa

Location, location, location. That's all. Ice cream is only average. We tried two flavours: chocolate and tiramisu. The former was so so. But the latter was disgusting. Do not let yourself be misled by the line there!

The ice cream server was very rude. He refused to let us try the ice cream. When we asked for an extra cup so my daughters ice cream wouldn't spill, he tries to charge us for it. Ice cream was ok. When we got it it was half melted. Overall, this experience was terrible. I personally recommend Amorino ice cream shop down the street from this one.

Having been slightly disappointed with the first gelateria we visited in Povoa, a little research brought us to Mona Lisa. A good sign outside an ice cream shop is a lengthy queue, even at 11pm, and such was the case here. I expect to pay 5E for a 3 scoop ice cream when on holiday, but when we discovered that 3 scoops in a maxi cone cost 4E, we really thought we'd arrived! That also included whipped cream and sauce, so when my son, who doesn't like whipped cream, was offered an additional scoop of ice cream, we knew we were onto a winner. On visit #3, we decided to go for one of Mona Lisa's artistic crepe offerings from their extensive menu. Most of us chose strawberry coated with Nutella and we weren't disappointed. The fruit was ripened to perfection, and there must have been at least have a punnet of finely cut strawberries, stuffed into the beautifully folded crepe. Service was impeccable, and if I could have fitted one of the super comfy stylish chairs in my cabin baggage, I would have done. Of all the gelateria we saw in Povoa during our trip, none looked comparable to Mona Lisa. Don't miss it.

Great service and atmosphere with fabulous icecream and menu options. A must experience indeed. Coffees also excellent

Our tour manager recommended we try Mona Lisa as they sold the best ice cream. We found the shop as we thought only to find it was derelict and closed obviously for the past season. When we spoke with her – there are 2 – one closed and one operating. Walk north (Sea on your left) along the promenade and the open one is on your right passed the wall with the pictorial blue tiles on it. They sell a wide range of flavours with a good size single scoop for 1 Euro 80. Outdoor seating is on the pavement with a screen separating customers from the road.